As you’ve thought about planning your wedding you’ve probably considered or even had people ask if you’d be hiring a wedding planner or a wedding coordinator. Although many people use those terms interchangeably, wedding planners and wedding coordinators are actually quite different. Which do you need? How do you determine which is the right fit for your wedding – a coordinator, a planner or both? Let’s dive into what each offers and then help you decide what’s best for you by answering some simple questions.
You can think of a wedding planner as an all-knowing personal wedding assistant! Their job is to make your vision for your wedding day come to life! They are experts at planning logistics, communicating & organizing details, connecting you to the best vendors, negotiating the best deals with those vendors and attending all of your wedding meetings with you to ensure everything is as perfect as possible. Wedding planners offer full service packages where they help with every single detail of planning and they also offer smaller packages for brides who want to do a lot of planning but still need help getting connected to the right vendors, tracking their budgets or finding their dream dress and venue.
The benefits of using a wedding planner are that they’re adaptable to your needs and can offer you whatever planning services you’re looking for. You meet with them at the beginning of your engagement and they are with you from the start. They truly are able to know exactly what you want for your big day and will make it happen, taking loads of stress off of you. They do all the research to find the best vendors, bridal salons, dress, etc. and lay out the options for you. They also help alleviate family stress and tension. Everyone will have opinions on how you should make decisions for your day, but you can push the stress and responsibility of those opinions onto your planner instead of having to carry that weight.
You can think of a wedding coordinator as your wedding day point-to person. They handle and take care of every logistic, schedule and set-up detail on the day of your wedding. Their goal is to help your wedding day run as smoothly as possible without you having to be concerned about any of the details. Everything from connecting & communicating with your vendors as they arrive, addressing any family/guest questions and concerns, helping guests sit at the right table to keeping with your timeline. They make sure the reception tables are set correctly, the ceremony starts on time, anyone involved in photos knows where to be and when. They will know every detail of your day and make all of your planning/vision a reality.
You typically meet with your wedding coordinator 4-8 weeks before the wedding to go over all of the details of your day. You’ll give them your timeline, location details, guest list/seating chart, share who your vendors are and talk through any stress points you have for the day so they can make sure to alleviate those. The biggest benefits of using a wedding coordinator are that they alleviate for you all of the stress and execution of the wedding day. They handle it all, you can truly enjoy the detail without having to worry about it going smoothly and correctly. You won’t have people going to you all day asking questions instead, you can relax while your coordinator is the go-to person. They are also easier on the budget because they cost less than a planner, yet still offer a great service.
Before deciding, it’s worth it to note two things. First, some wedding venues will offer a day-of wedding coordinator as part of their booking packages. Second, some wedding planners will also coordinate your wedding day for an extra price. Determining which service is better for you all depends on your circumstances. Read through the questions below to help decide:
Hopefully we’ve helped you understand what each job & service can offer you! Wedding planning is such a big task and knowing whether a coordinator or planner is a good fit for you can make a big difference.
If you’re in the Dallas area and looking for some recommendations, here are some wedding planners/coordinators I have worked with and are amazing: